With the release of their fourth album, Calling Out (2008), the FemBots have set off in yet another direction while in many ways returning to their beginnings. Born out of improvisation and experimentation, Calling Out sees the FemBots once more stretching themselves musically to produce an album that is daring yet accessible.
The FemBots began as a home recording project of Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier and their debut, Mucho Cuidado (2000), featured songs written and performed on power tools, toys and broken down thrift store instruments. The duo quickly carved a unique space in the Toronto music scene bringing their post-industrial folk songs to the stage using tape loops and reel-to-reel machines mixed with often frantic live performances.
Their critically acclaimed second release, Small Town Murder Scene (2003), adopted a more atmospheric approach with traditional instrumentation and soulful laments. The third FemBots record, The City (2005), built on this earlier work while taking it up several notches with banging piano chords, catchy choruses, soulful vocals, swinging guitars, woven strings and horns. The City – that landed on several top ten lists for 2005 – pushed the stark black and white vision of their earlier albums into full technicolor.
The FemBots originally envisioned their fourth album Calling Out (2008), as an entire album using an assortment of junkstruments, musical instruments created from garbage by artist Iner Souster. Eight months into the project it became clear that the junkstruments were simply too unpredictable and too difficult to work with to sustain an entire album. Rather than scraping the project entirely, the FemBots used the junkstrument instrumentals they had recorded as rhythm tracks, the rock and roll chassis that the rest of the songs are built on.
Calling Out also marks another departure for the FemBots. This is the first time Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier have collaborated with other musicians during every stage of the writing and recording process. In the past MacKinnon and Poirier wrote the songs, then brought in other musicians to fill out the arrangements. With Calling Out the songs were built up from improvisations with Iner Souster and drummer Nathan Lawr.
The result is a collection of pop and rock song built on a foundation of odd sounding home made instruments, resulting in their most straightforward and strangest record to date.
The FemBots have drawn comparisons to Califone, My Morning Jacket, Latin Playboys and Wilco but their sound is not easily categorized. Influenced by a wide range of music – from Rock ‘n Roll, Blues, Soul, Country, and Folk – they continue their genre bending approach, honing a new style from the old. With each new album the FemBots transform in ways unforeseen, yet strangely familiar.
Upcoming concert dates:
3 Oct 2008 23:00 Pop Montreal – L’Esco Bar Montreal, QC
4 Oct 2008 22:00 Zaphod’s Ottawa, Ontario
7 Oct 2008 22:00 Baba’s Charlottetown, Prince Edward
8 Oct 2008 21:00 Strutt’s Gallery Sackville, New Brunswick
9 Oct 2008 22:00 The Capitol Fredericton, NB
10 Oct 2008 22:00 Gus’ Pub Halifax, Nova Scotia
22 Oct 2008 22:00 The Lo Pub Winnipeg, Manitoba
23 Oct 2008 22:00 Lydia’s Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
24 Oct 2008 21:00 The Club Regina, Saskatchewan
25 Oct 2008 22:00 The Pawn Shop Edmonton, Alberta
26 Oct 2008 21:00 Habitat Kelowna, British Columbia
29 Oct 2008 20:00 Logan’s Victoria, British Columbia
30 Oct 2008 20:00 The Railway Club Vancouver, BC
1 Nov 2008 20:00 The Marquee Room Calgary, Alberta
3 Nov 2008 21:00 The Apollo Thunder Bay, Ontario
4 Nov 2008 21:00 Loplops Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
5 Nov 2008 22:00 The Towne House Tavern Sudbury, Ontario
6 Nov 2008 22:00 Casbah Hamilton, Ontario
7 Nov 2008 22:00 The Dakota Tavern Toronto, Ontario
8 Nov 2008 22:00 The Jane Bond Kitchener, Ontario
20 Nov 2008 22:00 The E Bar Guelph, Ontario
21 Nov 2008 22:00 The Phog Lounge Windsor, Ontario
22 Nov 2008 22:00 The Merchant Ale House St. Catherines, ON
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